At the 1:30 mark, Bill Hader tells Jimmy Kimmel how he briefly became a big sports fan, most notably of the NBA and specifically, the Thunder. Essentially, he was high.

I will say this, though: I saw Hader at the 2012 Finals and he certainly came off as a very clear fan to me. Then again, the trials and tribulations of the last few seasons can cause even the best fans’ loyalty to wane. Take another hit of Prednisone, Bill, and get back on the wagon for next season. It promises to be better.

Darnell Mayberry: “Sam Dekker fits the Sam Presti profile. He’s long. He’s athletic. He’s versatile. There’s just one thing that could keep the Thunder general manager from selecting the former Wisconsin standout small forward with the 14th overall pick in next week’s NBA Draft. Kyle Singler. Presti and the Thunder might already feel it has its version of Dekker in Singler, who OKC is hoping to re-sign as a restricted free agent this summer. Then again, maybe the Thunder views Dekker as a potential better version of Singler, and a better value, too.”

Marc Stein dropped a bombshell column yesterday: “I saw it from close range in my role as sideline reporter through the Finals for ESPN Radio. James essentially called timeouts and made substitutions. He openly barked at Blatt after decisions he didn’t like. He huddled frequently with Lue, often looking at anyone other than Blatt. There was James, in one instance I witnessed from right behind the bench, shaking his head vociferously in protest after one play Blatt drew up in the third quarter of Game 5, amounting to the loudest nonverbal scolding you could imagine — which forced Blatt, in front of his whole team, to wipe the board clean and draw up something else.” Keep Reading…

Kevin Pelton of ESPN Insider on 50 greatest teams: “Miami’s second championship team with the Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh famously won 27 consecutive games during the regular season, the second-longest winning streak in NBA history. But the Heat actually had the second-best point differential in the league behind the Oklahoma City Thunder (plus-9.2) and they were forced to go the distance both in the Eastern Conference finals (to beat the Indiana Pacers) and then in the Finals. Miami was a shot away from losing Game 6 and the series before pulling off the most improbable comeback to win a title the league has ever seen.”

Darnell Mayberry on Trey Lyles: “That explains why he played out of position for most of the season, logging the bulk of his minutes at small forward instead of his more natural power forward. Kentucky coach John Calipari needed Lyles to play farther from the basket to allow Anthony-Towns and Willie Cauley-Stein, another projected top 10 pick, room to operate inside. The strategy afforded Lyles more playing time, but it also took him out of his comfort zone on both ends, forcing him to be mostly perimeter-oriented offensively, while defending smaller, quicker players defensively.” Keep Reading…

Congrats to the Warriors. Here’s Ethan Strauss of ESPN.com: “That’s the key, indeed. Golden State married the game-changing offense of the recent past with a defense that feels futuristic. They did it with a skinny point guard who thrills national audiences lofting 30-footers over 7-footers. They did the unexpected with an unconventional approach. Now the league takes their lead, chasing after their spot. What have the Warriors started? What have they continued? Maybe Golden State won’t be as “special” next season, but they’ve got talent and they’ve got time. They just might keep showing us the way.”

Zach Lowe of Grantland: “The Warriors, on balance, were luckier than most championship teams. They stood almost intact, while stars and crucial role players — from Love to Patrick Beverley — fell into the wreckage below them. That doesn’t take away from their accomplishment, and if you think it does, you’re willfully ignoring all of NBA history. No one ever needs to apologize for their road to a championship. You can only play the schedule, and gutting out 16 playoff wins is difficult, regardless of the precise path.” Keep Reading…

Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com with a fascinating piece: “The star of the Finals so far is the player charged with guarding James: the Warriors’ Andre Iguodala. At a time of year when almost every player appears to be conserving energy, Iggy races the floor with abandon, relishing physical confrontations, like the chance to elevate and hammer-dunk over someone on the fast break. He’s also a player steeped in sports science, who has banned screens from his bedroom and wears a sleep monitor that feeds data to a laptop. His coach, Steve Kerr, deliberately benched Iguodala for games at a time during the season specifically so he’d have fresh legs at the end of the season. Part of the reason Kerr brought him off the bench was because the schedule demanded it.”

Darnell Mayberry on Myles Turner: “He needs to get stronger to hold his spot better in the paint. He must improve his lateral quickness and awareness so that he won’t be a liability when defending the pick and roll. And he’s got to develop a better post game, including his passing from the low block, to truly take advantage of his size and length. But with his worker’s mentality and business-like demeanor, Turner might have the makeup to tap into his potential and transform into a terrific big man.” Keep Reading…

The Thunder maybe, sort of, who knows, might have a promise with Cameron Payne, if you’re to believe some of the pre-draft buzz that circles the internet. Regardless of if they do or not, they like him. They brought him in for a private workout and with Payne’s stock soaring, he’s certainly a player if available, they’d consider at No. 14.

Here’s the book on the 6-foot-1 point guard from Murray State: He’s got great feel and instincts, can shoot a little, is left-handed, can create and pass, and can score from all over. The minuses are his size, his lack of strength, his average finishing ability at the rim and concerns of defense at the next level. Keep Reading…